Okaloosa Island is Fort Walton Beach’s beach. It’s the barrier island between Santa Rosa Sound and the Gulf, stretching from the Brooks Bridge by downtown Fort Walton Beach to the East Pass and the Marler Bridge into Destin. It has the same sugar-white sand and green water as its famous neighbor, but with more room to spread out, easier parking and a laid-back, family-friendly pace built around a fishing pier, a marine park and a beachfront boardwalk.
Quick answer
- Easiest beach day: John C. Beasley Park or The Boardwalk, both with free parking, pavilions and restrooms.
- Calm water: the Okaloosa Day Use Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore, on the bay side.
- Don’t miss: a sunset walk on the Okaloosa Island Pier, more than a quarter mile into the Gulf.
- With kids: the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, open since 1955.
- Seafood: Stewby’s Seafood Shanty, Old Bay Steamer or oysters at AJ’s Oyster Shanty.
- Stay: The Island Resort at Fort Walton Beach, a family favorite since 1966.
Getting your bearings
Most of the action sits along two roads. Miracle Strip Parkway (U.S. 98) runs the length of the island, past the Gulfarium, the pier and The Boardwalk. Santa Rosa Boulevard branches off to the west, lined with beachfront hotels, condos and a cluster of restaurants. Downtown Fort Walton Beach is just over the Brooks Bridge, and Destin is five minutes east over the Marler Bridge.
Heads up on the Brooks Bridge: the bridge between downtown and the island is being replaced. The new westbound span was finished in September 2026, traffic is shifting onto the new bridge through the end of the year, and the whole project is now expected to wrap up in early 2029. Allow a little extra time crossing, especially at rush hour.
The beaches
John C. Beasley Park, just east of The Boardwalk, is the classic family beach: two pavilions, boardwalk beach access, restrooms and about 200 parking spaces. The lot fills on busy days, so arrive early. The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island, a county park at 1450 Miracle Strip Parkway, adds free parking, pavilions, restrooms and outdoor showers, with restaurants right next to the sand.
For calm water, the Okaloosa Day Use Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore sits on the Choctawhatchee Bay side of the island. It has a small-craft launch, picnic tables, restrooms and outdoor showers, and is open from 8 a.m. to sunset. There’s a card-only entrance fee.
A few rules: pets aren’t allowed on Okaloosa Island’s county beaches (service animals excepted), and always check the flags before swimming. Our Destin and Okaloosa Island beaches guide has more on parking and access, and the beach warning flags guide explains every color.
The Okaloosa Island Pier
The Okaloosa Island Pier stretches more than a quarter mile into the Gulf, about 1,270 feet, behind Angler’s Beachside Grill. The original concrete pier opened in 1972, was badly damaged by Hurricane Opal in 1995, and reopened rebuilt and extended in 1999. You can buy a fishing pass or an inexpensive walking pass, and kids 5 and under are free. Come at sunset, when the whole island seems to walk out to the end.
The Gulfarium
The Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, next to the pier, opened in 1955 and calls itself one of the world’s oldest marine animal parks. It has dolphin and sea lion shows, plus manatees, penguins, otters, sharks, seals, sea turtles, rays and alligators. It’s open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (last admission 3:30 p.m.), and presentations start around 9:30 a.m. Plan on half a day with kids.
On the water
One Shot Charters fishes out of Adventure Marina on the island with a small fleet, from a 25-foot Contender to the Ice Man, a 46-foot catamaran for long offshore runs. Its three-hour Fun Run is catch-and-release fishing close to shore, a good fit for families with young kids, and six- and eight-hour trips head offshore.
Just over the Brooks Bridge, Xtreme H2O of FWB rents jet skis and pontoons and runs parasail flights on Santa Rosa Sound, and Blue Water Escape Charters runs deep sea fishing and dolphin cruises from the Fort Walton Beach Yacht Basin.
Where to eat on Okaloosa Island
- Stewby’s Seafood Shanty: a local legend that started in a converted portable classroom on Racetrack Road. The island shanty is on Santa Rosa Boulevard, and Stewby’s Steamer & Market is just down the road.
- Old Bay Steamer: steaming lobster tails, crab legs and royal red shrimp on Santa Rosa Boulevard since 1995, and just as known locally for its ribs.
- AJ’s Oyster Shanty: the island outpost of the AJ’s family that started with a trailer on Destin Harbor in 1984. Raw oysters anchor the menu, and the shrimp and grits have a following.
- Angler’s Beachside Grill: right at the base of the pier, with decks facing the Gulf.
- Rockin’ Tacos Grill & Tequila Bar: high above The Boardwalk with Gulf views from nearly every seat, house-made tortillas and a party that picks up at sunset.
- Hightide Island Grill: a family-run raw bar near the foot of the Brooks Bridge for more than 40 years, with oysters shucked to order.
- The Remedy: the restaurant and pool bar at Beal House, a hotel named for the pharmacist who helped rename Camp Walton to Fort Walton in 1932.
The Boardwalk also has The Crab Trap and other restaurants steps from the sand.
Where to stay
- The Island Resort at Fort Walton Beach: open since 1966 on one of the widest beaches on the island, now with more than 450 rooms. A classic family pick.
- Hilton Garden Inn Fort Walton Beach: a 178-room Gulf-front hotel with every room a short elevator ride from the sand.
- Wyndham Garden Fort Walton Beach: on the Gulf, with two heated pools and a rockslide for kids.
- Waterscape Resort: beachfront condos around a 10,000-square-foot split-level pool courtyard.
- Beal House: a renovated Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel on Santa Rosa Boulevard.
- Destin West Beach & Bay Resort: condos on both the Gulf and the bay near the Marler Bridge, linked by a skybridge.
Browse every Okaloosa Island hotel and condo on our Okaloosa Island area page.
Events
On Halloween night, Oct. 31, 2026, Tricks and Treasures at The Boardwalk runs from 5 to 8 p.m., free, with fireworks at 8 p.m. For more of the year’s calendar, see our best time to visit guide.
A perfect Okaloosa Island day
Get to Beasley Park early and claim a spot on the sand. Spend late morning at the Gulfarium when the first shows start, then lunch at Angler’s or Stewby’s. After a beach afternoon, walk the pier at sunset and finish with steamed seafood at Old Bay Steamer or tacos above The Boardwalk.
Okaloosa Island FAQ
Is Okaloosa Island part of Fort Walton Beach? Yes. Okaloosa Island is Fort Walton Beach’s barrier island beach, connected to downtown by the Brooks Bridge and to Destin by the Marler Bridge.
Is Okaloosa Island less crowded than Destin? Generally, yes. It has the same sand and water with more public parking and a quieter, family-focused feel.
Are dogs allowed on Okaloosa Island beaches? No. Pets aren’t allowed on the county beaches, though service animals are.
For the rest of the area, see downtown Fort Walton Beach, five minutes over the bridge, and our full guide to things to do in Fort Walton Beach.